These salted caramel fudge brownies are very fudgy, chewy, and full of chocolate chips. It also has fresh salted caramel sauce in the middle of these brownies. These fudgy brownies are easy, quick to make, and super delicious.
The BEST Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies
Can we all agree that fudgy brownies are the best? Well, let’s combine fudge brownies with salted caramel sauce and we might have the best brownies ever. On top of these tasting great, they don’t even require a mixer.
The homemade salted caramel is super easy to make and is so much better than the store brand. It has a small amount of salt, so it brings down the sweetness of the caramel. It also has vanilla, basically this salted caramel is serious goals.
The salted caramel fudge brownies are fudgy, chewy, and seriously super chocolaty. If you are wanting a chocolate fudge brownie then this brownie is for you!
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What’s the Difference Between Homemade Salted Caramel And Store Bought
Besides the fact that homemade salted caramel is absolutely delicious, there is a big difference in texture.
Store bought caramel is super thick and usually chewier as it hardens. That is the exact opposite of what we want. It is also full of preservatives which we don’t want either. If you were to use store bought, the caramel wouldn’t blend as nicely into the brownies.
Homemade salted caramel can be made in 15 minutes and has a very soft texture. It will blend nicely into the brownies, make them even fudgier, and give them a caramel taste.
Trust me, it is worth making the salted caramel from scratch.
How To Make Salted Caramel
I strongly recommend making the caramel a day before you make the brownies. This will give the caramel time to set. If you are wanting those brownies NOW, then wait at least 1-2 hours for the caramel to get to room temperature.
Before you start making the caramel, make sure all of your ingredients are ready. Both the heavy cream and butter should be room temperature. Cold ingredients will cause the caramel to seize up.
The butter should be cut into cubes and ready to go. Once the sugar melts it cooks fast!
Use a saucepan over medium heat and start to cook your sugar. Use a whisk to continuously stir up the sugar. First the sugar will start to clump up as it melts; just keep stirring until it all melts.
An important tip on making salted caramel is to never walk away while it cooks. It can easily burn. As most of sugar starts to melt it will turn into a pale white/brown color. Make sure every last sugar crystal is melted before letting the caramel get too brown.
Next, stop whisking and let it cook until it turns into an auburn color. It takes less than a minute before it is ready. Mine took 30 seconds to cook. It will look a bit golden and have a slight nutty smell. Immediately take it off of the heat.
Stir in half of the cubed butter right away. It is going to be extremely bubbly and steamy, but keep stirring until it is melted. Then, add the rest of the butter and stir again. Don’t add all of the butter at once, otherwise the caramel could seize up.
Next, add in half of the heavy cream at a time. It will also be very bubbly, but keep stirring until all of the heavy cream is added. It should become that beautiful auburn/orange color that caramel usually is.
Then, add in the salt and vanilla. Immediately pour it into a glass jar to cool down. I used a glass measuring cup, but you can also use a mason jar.
Storing Salted Caramel
If you are not using the homemade salted caramel right away, let it cool for 30 minutes. Then you can cover the jar. Make sure to store it at room temperature until you are ready to use it. It will last 3-5 days at room temperature.
You can also store it in the fridge. That will last about a week. Before you use the caramel, let it get to room temperature first. Then, heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds to get it to be a pour-able consistency.
If you are using the caramel right away, it can stay in the same jar, uncovered, until it gets to room temperature. Then, you can use it for the salted caramel fudge brownies.
I also used salted caramel in snickers cheesecake and turtle cheesecake.
How To Make Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies
These brownies are super easy to make and don’t need a mixer. I actually recommend not using a mixer at all because mixers incorporate too much air, which we don’t need for brownies.
Start by preheating the oven to 325F. You bake fudge brownies at a slightly lower temperature so it doesn’t cook too fast.
Next, spray an 8X8 pan, it can be metal or glass, with a non stick baking spray. If you want picture perfect squares, line the bottom and 2 sides of the pan with parchment paper. There should be enough sticking out of the sides that you can easily pull the brownies out of the pan.
Then, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. This will make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
Next, in a microwave safe bowl, heat the butter and sugar together for about 1 minute. The melted butter and warmed sugar helps create that gooey and fudgy texture.
Then, in a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and melted butter together. Add in the eggs and egg yolk. You will notice it says cold in the recipe; cold eggs also help create a fudgier texture.
Next, add in the oil and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Then, pour in the dry ingredients and whisk until completely smooth.
Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, and mini chocolate chips. These brownies are going to be super chocolaty! My brownie goal is to have a fudgy brownie with tons of chocolate chips and these don’t disappoint.
Baking These Fudgy, Chewy, Delicious Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies
First, pour about 2/3rds of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Use the rubber spatula to spread it evenly into the corners. Make sure you can’t see the bottom of the pan.
Next, take about 1/4 cup of the salted caramel sauce and pour it over the brownie batter. When you are pouring, don’t get it near the edges otherwise the caramel will spill over.
Once you are finished with the caramel, spread the rest of the brownie batter on top. Try not blend the caramel with the brownie batter too much. Just be nice and gentle when you are spreading the batter. You can also add extra chocolate chips on top.
Next, bake the brownies for 45-60 minutes. This all depends on your oven and how fudgy you want your brownies. The edges should be set and slightly hard to the touch. The middle should be slightly underdone. If it jiggles, it needs more time.
Once the brownies are done baking, let them cool completely because they are still cooking in the pan. Once they are cool you can stick them in the fridge for 1 hour before you cut into the brownies
Can These Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies Be Gluten Free?
Yes these brownies can be gluten free. Use this 1:1 ratio gluten free flour. You will use the same amount of flour.
What Topping Can These Brownies Have?
These brownies can have so many toppings. SO MANY.
- Walnuts or Pecans
- Extra caramel drizzle on top
- Chocolate drizzle on top
- Side of vanilla ice cream
- M&M’s or other candies.
- Simple dusting of powdered sugar.
You can do what ever you would like with these brownies. I personally added an extra salted caramel drizzle on top. I also added a bit of sea salt flakes as well.
Can These Brownies Be Eaten Hot?
I mean, you can. If you can’t wait for brownies, like my husband, then you can dive in. However, the chocolate flavor will be dramatically different.
The chocolate will taste more dull when it’s hot. If you allow the brownies to cool all the way, then the chocolate flavor will intensify and have that rich taste. Also, the brownies will extra gooey and fudgy if you eat them hot.
How To Store These Brownies
When I make brownies, I always keep them at room temperature.
You can either wrap your baking pan in aluminum foil, or you can cut up your brownies and store in a Tupperware.
They will only last about 3-5 days until the brownies get a bit too hard.
Other Recipes To Try
- Fudgy Brownies
- Peanut Butter Swirled Brownies
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Brownie and Cookie Dough Sandwiches
Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats and leave me a review below if you made these brownies. I hope you loved it! To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
Salted Caramel Fudge Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/3 cup White granulated sugar
- 5 TBSP Unsalted butter
- 2 Large eggs cold
- 1 Egg yolk cold
- 1/3 cup Oil canola or vegetable
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup Milk chocolate chips
- 1/8 cup Mini chocolate chips
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup White granulated sugar
- 5 TBSP Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream room temperature
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Salted Caramel
- Before you start making the caramel, cut your room temperature butter into cubes. Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready because sugar will cook fast.
- Using a saucepan over medium heat, heat the sugar. Continuously whisk the sugar. The sugar will start to clump up and then start to brown and caramelize. Keep whisking continuously so it doesn't burn until all sugar crystals have melted.
- Let the caramel sit for less than a minute until it turns into an auburn color. It won't take very long at all to get to the right color. so keep a very close eye on it. Once it gets to the auburn color, take off heat immediately.
- Stir in the cubed butter. Stir in half of the butter at a time and whisk until smooth. It will bubble a lot, but keep whisking. Stir in the heavy cream. Stir in half the heavy cream at a time and whisk until smooth. Add in salt and vanilla and stir again.
- Pour caramel into a glass jar and let sit for at least 30 minutes. If you aren't using right away, you can cover and store at room temperature. If you are using the caramel right away, wait 'til it cools down before using it with the brownies.
Fudge Brownies
- Preheat the oven to 325F and spray an 8X8 pan with non stick baking spray. Line the bottom and 2 of the sides with parchment paper, so that it is easy to remove brownies from pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and sugar for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Place melted butter and sugar in a separate medium sized bowl. Mix until combined.
- Add in both eggs and egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Add in vanilla and oil and mix again. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until thick and smooth.
- Add in both semi-sweet chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips. Fold them in until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour 2/3rds of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Spread until smooth and even. Pour 1/4 cup of salted caramel over the brownies. Try not to get it too close to the edges. Add the rest of the brownie batter and spread evenly. Try not to mix the caramel into the top layer of the brownie batter.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on how fudgy you want your brownies to be. The brownies are done baking when the edges are set and the middle is only very slightly underdone.
- Let the brownies sit in pan until cooled completely. They will continue to cook while in the pan. Once cooled completely, place in fridge to chill for 30 mins to 1 hour. If you want it sooner, place in freezer for 10-20 minutes. The brownies should be cold to the touch. Pull the brownies out of the pan and cut them into squares and serve. Store at room temperature.
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